Posted on 11/09/2004 4:54:32 AM PST by mhking
Using County-by-County election return data from USA Today together with County boundary data from the US Census' Tiger database we produced the following graphic depicting the results. Of course, blue is for the democrats, red is for the republicans, and green is for all other. Each county's color is a mix of these three color components in proportion to the results for that county.
Counties shown in black represent either missing election data or a mismatch between the US Census data and the USA Today data. For example, the New England states' election return data is given for each municipality and/or district rather than for each county. Hence, it couldn't be easily matched with the county boundaries.
Click anywhere on the map for a larger version.
The belt of red from the Texas coast up to Canada gives an idea of how totally the liberals have lost the flyover rural and sub/ex urban folks.
The blue before had appeared to be the Northeast, Great Lakes, and West Coast.
It appears that it also has the great river basins (Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri) and the coal belt part of the old rust belt (which makes some kind of sense.)
By and large, though, it's urban versus non-urban.
I'm convinced more and more that the great divide in our nation is driven by the media -- the blue is caused by a combination of national media teaming with the majority of urban print/tv media in the urban centers.
The war is between new media and old media.
What bigger version?
I've been looking for a bigger version of the blue-red map for days.
And a poor one at that. I notice that in the legend, the "blue" extends far closer to the halfway point (indeed, almost right up to it) than the "red".
This link yields even better maps. The one at the end is the same map that you had posted, just adjusted for voting population.
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/
When I worked at P&G research ctr years ago while in college, I learned from one of the lifers there that in their test marketing of colors that "blue" was the color of "power." (Many of their cleaning products come in blue packaging; Tide, an exception, was packaged sort of orangish.)
Wish I knew what red was. It'd be interesting to compare.
There wasn't enough blue on the map this election to turn it anything but Crimson. Purple my happy little butt!
There is much much more red-purple than blue purple, so...the point still be proven. :D
Oops, forgot the most important word. Should have read...
turn it CRIMSON (TIDE, that is!)
LakeLady
How cute! They're in denial.
The bigger version when you click the one posted.
I disagree. Red is "Hot and Alive". Blue is "Cold and Dead". The reversal of colors is entirely in line with the current state of socialism around the world (cold and dying) and the trend towards conservatism and the prosperity that accompanies classical liberal economic regimes (i.e., what the Democrats refer to as hard right ideology - - -LOL).
Let's see Republicans live up to the "Hot and Alive" implications of Red. Having defeated the 20th century "reds", what better way to seal the victory than take over and transform their "defining color"?
As for Blue, the Republicans should claim that back too.
"True Blue", "Blue Skies", and other measures of faithfulness and optimism.
Solution: let the Democrats have Yellow. A fair allocation of the primary colors, no?
Good Catch, BTS! :) Hmmm.... "The Color Purple" also comes to mind. However, in certain churches, "purple" is the color of redemption and forgiveness.
Good point. When and BY WHOM EXACTLY was the color switch made to RED = REPUBLICANS and BLUE = DEMOCRATS.
THAT would be a fun fact to figure out!
I wonder if Dan Rather was involved? :-)
Of course it is. They are trying to make themselves "feel" better! LOL
My county is still RED though...across the top of PA!! YEAH!!
The graphic on the left is a nonlinear color scale ranging from 70% or more Republican in red and 70% or more Democrat in blue.
The graphic on the right is a cartogram adjusted for the populations within each county.
What color is 110% Democrat? I was looking closely at Milwaukee, Cleveland and Philadelphia and couldn't find it.
Denial is a river that runs through Princeton.
- LOL
but I'd mark it an "F" still -
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